Seattle police chief snaps over Chicago home questions, absence from city after mass shooting

Seattle's police chief is under scrutiny for being out of town during Sunday's mass shooting that left three people dead, the latest flashpoint over a job that has kept him away from his wife and kids, who live in Chicago.

The Seattle Center shooting left three people dead and four others injured on Sunday evening at the Bite of Seattle annual food festival when as many as three shooters opened fire on each other, with innocent bystanders caught in the crosshairs.

The city's police chief, Shon Barnes, faced criticism over the fact he wasn't in Seattle when the shooting happened, as he was in Dallas, Texas, attending the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives' annual conference.

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes speaks during a vigil a day after the Bite of Seattle food festival shooting at Seattle Center on July 27, 2026, in Seattle, Washington. Three people are dead and four are wounded. (David Ryder/Getty Images)

"I wish that I had a crystal ball and we could schedule gun violence, but we can’t," Barnes said.

Barnes also snapped at a reporter who questioned how often he's actually in Seattle, citing a PubliCola report that the chief spends most weekends out of town, where his family lives in Chicago.

"Those reports are wrong, do you understand?" Barnes said while a staffer had to hold him back, saying "let's go."

Seattle Police respond to mass shooting on Sunday. (KCPQ)

"I have been here working as hard as I can for this city from the day I got here, you got that?" Barnes said.

When asked separately how much time he spends in Chicago, Barnes said, "Certainly I don't travel as often as I would like to."

"Any reports that I am gone every weekend are grossly misstated. I don't have that kind of money. I'm here in Seattle. I love the neighborhood. I love my community, they love me," he said.

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes, right, snapped at a reporter who questioned how often he is in the city, whose family lives in Chicago. (Fox 13 Seattle and Aytac Unal/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Seattle police believed a conflict between small groups appeared to have been the cause of the shooting.

"We believe this teenager opened fire in the crowd, but details are still under investigation," Democratic Socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said.